an american military aiñy news 4 midday begins right now.

good morning to you. welcome to news 4 midday. it's thursday, august 27th, 2009. ♪ and right now funeral plans are set for ted kennedy, a man known as a liberal lion of the senate and one of the most influential lawmakers of our time. >> to date kennedy family will travel from high massachusettto st on. he'll lie in reposeaynd tomorrow at the johndy en kprdy en presidentialmuseum. museum.l th flown tohen be flown virginia for his burial at arlington national cemete. michelle franzen reports. >> reporter: this morning the inevitable farewell begins. the body of senator ted kennedy leaves the family compound in

hi hyannis port. along the route, the motorcade will mark significant moments in kennedy's life. his body will lie in repose at the j.f.k. library and museum over the next two days. offering the public a chance to say good-bye to the influential senator. on saturday, funeral services will be held at our lady of perpetual health, a grand catholic cathedral in a blue collar section of boston. dignitaries, past presidents and president obama will be there to pay tribute. kennedy will be buried at arlington sem air cemetery next brothers, jack and robert. last night the family gathered for a vigil at kennedy's home, a private place to mourn and celebrate his life. senator john kerry called it a perfect and private moment. >> it's very spiritual and about as beautiful as it could be. i think it's everything that senator kennedy would have wanted.

>> and the dream shall never die. >> reporter: private and public tributes kennedy would have loved. just off shore, a light on a navigational hazard ship flashed and served as a symbol of hope for the family. and a reminder of kennedy's love of the water and sailing. [ "taps" plays ] >> reporter: at fenway park, "taps" played in his honor at the red sox game. and flags flew at half-staff near his home all the way to the nation's capital. misch ez franzen, nbc news. preparations are under way for senator kennedy's funeral services. they'll conclude with a burial here in arlington national cemetery. megan mcgrath joins us with more. good morning. >> reporter: senator edward kennedy will be buried with congressional honors saturday evening. an army firing party will fire a volley and a bugler will play

"taps" during the ceremony. visitors will be able to go to arlington. it will be open on saturday. but they will be kept away from the kennedy burial site. he was a son o massachusetts. but the liberal lion spent much of his time at his second home here in washington. ted kennedy's years in the senate along with his two years in the army qualify him for burial at arlington national m cemetery much his grave expected to be 95 feet south wrf the eternal flame burns in memory of john f. kennedy. also buried at the site, brother robert. >> the hope rises again. >> reporter: while ted kennedy spent much of his life in the public eye, his burial service will be private with only family and friends in attendance. visitors wishing to see other parts of the cemetery will be able to do so but will be kept site. and robert e. lee house on the hill also known as the arlington house will be closed saturday

starting at noon. kennedy's grave will be off-limits to the public until sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. as far as other funeral arrangements including possible mo motorcades or honors, those details are still being worked out. >> thank you. the hope still lives and the dream shall never die. >> mourners paid a spontaneous tribute to senator kennedy in dupont circle. 75 people attended a candlelight vij nil his honor last night. several said they wanted to recognize a man who made it his life's work to champion social causes. one man read some of kennedy's chesspamous speeches. ee stay wit and nbc and nbcnd washington.com for continuing coverage of ted kennedy's life and legacy. we'll take a look at the people who might become his replacement or at least try to in the senate. a man is dead after being shot by police in northeast washington. this happened around 3:30 this morning at a gasoline station in the 3300 block of benning road.

police say the man was banging on the window of the station's cashier booth with a gun in his hand. an officer on the scene opened fire and fatally wounded the suspect. >> the officer responded to the scene. he noticed the subject standing there with a weapon in his hand and at which time he approached the officer and the officer returned fire. >> benning road was blocked off for a while while police gathered evidence. the officer who fired the fatal shot is placed on administrative leave whale the investigation continues. time to check on our weather. it looks beautiful outside right now. >> pretty sticky out. there kind of hazy, actually. you can see the water droplets in the air. here's tom. >> that's right. and we had a little weak front pass just to our south. it really hasn't cooled us down or dried us out much. a little bit of a wind shift. now 83 in washington. it's in the low 80s in montgomery, fairfax, arlington, prince george's counties. and charles, calvert and an

arundel, it's in the low 80s. steamier in southern maryland. and not quite as humid, a little further to our west and northeast with the current dew points out there. dew points in the mid 60s. but dew points around the bay are in the low 70s now. temperatures on the eastern shore, the low 80s. it's hit the mid and central 80s in southern virginia and carolinas n the mountains in, the mid 70s. over the last six hours, we've seen this weak front pass just to our south and it's going to be around giving us some hazy sunshine and certainly it's going to be rather humid. it's going to get a little more humid as we get into tomorrow and the weekend. highs to day should reach the upper 80s to near 90 degrees. a look at friday and the weekend and the latest statistics on tropical storm danny. that will be coming up in a few minutes. kimberly and joe? >> thank you, so many. jerry edwards has the latest on the traffic. >> hello there. good morning. let's head over to northern virginia. take a live look along interstate 66. looks like it looked like about four, five, six hours ago, doesn't it? still tough trip.

there's road work inbound 66 at the left hand exit. take you to the nooinner loop. that is the reason for the delays. not too pleasant. westbound, that's moving along pretty well at this hour. other road work to talk about, 95 northbound up a lorton. a bit of a delay. there and construction project 270 northbound approaching montross road, might find it briefly heavy. all in all, that's not taking too much of a toll. that's how we're doing right now. back to you. >> thanks very much, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. if you have to take i-95 in parts of northern virginia, plan on needing more extra time. vdot is closing some lanes of the interstate at night over the next couple months. tracy wilkins is following these developments from lorton, virginia. she joins us live. tracy, how's it looking out there? >> reporter: kimberly, let me tell you, northern virginia has got so many road construction programs going on right now. it's all over the place. and officials say that this is one of most rust transportation improvement programs happening in the

country. it's all happening at the same time. so for drivers, it may be a little frustrating. let me tell you something, it's not going to get easier any time soon. there is more to come. >> i was on the road. i try to avoid it. >> reporter: it's a nasty, slow moving bottle neck on i-9 athrough lorton. drivers who can't avoid it, bear it. it's getting worse. >> i never saw traffic jams on here. in new york city you see them. and now we got them here. >> it's more noticeable today. now that springfield is complete, the springfield interchange, vehicles are flying through the springfield interchange quickly. >> reporter: officials say the solution to the growing problem is more lanes on i-95. >> what we're doing here is answering the congestion and adding a fourth lane in each direction. >> reporter: drivers should prepare for delays over the next two months as the virginia department of transportation works to build a fourth lane in each direction on i-95 between the fairfax county parkway and newington and 123 south of of course kwan. >> we ask motorists to bear us

with during that period of time. if they get caught up in that there around midnight or 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, they hang around 15, 20 minute >> reporter: drivers should see 2009, the ce n northbound lanes from route 1 to fairxfa county parkway were open. the next year, the southbound lanes between the fairfax county parkway and route 1 should be complete. and in the fall of 2011, the north anes11 between route 1 to route 123 will open completing prot jekt. while drivers we talked to say more roads should be better, they also say there were other opportunities missed. >> i just wish they put more rail everywhere, more bus lanes everywhere originally when they had a chance, when things were, you know, less kplecomplicated. >> reporter: plenty of folks feel that way. that could be happening sooner as well. this is a thought that lanes should be a big improvement. they can get 100 cars per hour

per lane when they add these new lanes. so that should really help to move the vehicles along. now from 9:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. in the morning, that's how long the construction will be going on. and that's when it will be going on. so folks should be okay for the morning commute. i'm tracy wilkins, live this morning in lorton. kimberly, back to you. >> at least it's at night. thanks, tracy. >> you can expect plenty of company on the roads if get out of town for the labor day weekend. aaa expects more than 39 million americans to travel at least 50 miles from home for the holiday weekend. most of the tvelers will be in their cars. that number is down, though, more than 13% from last labor day weekend. aaa blames the economy and the fact that holiday falls later in the month than it did last year. pirates remain a problem off the somali coast this morning. coming up, we'll have the latest on the hijacked ship and the u.s. helicopter fired on by pirates. we'll also look at some positive signs of rebuilding in china. schools are finally being rebuilt after that country's devastating earthquake. and a day before entering a

monastery, this woman test her -- well that, is adrian, right? >> it s. >> you'll hear about a woman testing her strength pulling a car with her hair. we'll hha ou sab say about his kids going to a school not in his neighborhood.

a mill tan attack in southern afghanistan this morning. nato says at tack involved a roadside bomb and gunfire. 44 u.s. troops have died in afghanistan this month. that ties the deadliest month of the eight-year war. 60,000 troops are now in afrg. newly released video shows pirates firing at a u.s. navy helicopter. if you look closely, you can see what the navy says are two men firing weapons. the helicopter was making a routine surveil an flight over the ship which is sitting off the somali coast. no bullets druk the helicopter

and no injuries were reported. pirates captured this ship along with its 30-member crew back in april. it's been a year now since the devastating earthquake hit china killing at least 5600 schoolchildren. the government is trying to rebuild. china reopened 16 schools. that's where the quake levelled several schools. critics blame bad construction for much of the destruction and claim the chinese government. we've been outside. it's sunny but through the camera, you can really see the humidity. >> yeah, indeed. and it's a tough time year to be going to school, too. you'd rather be at a pool than school. we've got more late summer heat and hum continuoes t continues build on this thursday morning. here's a live view from our sky watcher camera. you can see the sky flooded with that summer haze. that's the view overlooking washington's northwest neighborhoods. there's the view downtown. the city camera showing that

summer haze around the monuments on this thursday morning. right now at reagan national airport, 83 degrees. so far, we've had 21 days, 90 degrees or higher on an average summer, we get 38 days, 90 degrees or higher. so we're just a little over half of our number of90re-deg90-degr. tawel 'lke that. nol dao precipitation around the region. and temperatures are in the low 80s around the shenandoah valley, blue ridge and rural areas of virginia and maryland. southern maryland, northern neck and around the bay, temperatures there interest r. in the upper 70s and low 80s with a little bit of a wind coming in off of the chesapeake bay. we've got a little more increase in the humidity. in fact, dew point at tax river, 73. it's not too bad around washington. we're in the mid and upper 60s. temperatures on the eastern shore with the steamy humidity in the low 80s. in the mountains, mid 70s. started out there near 60

degrees this morning. and over the last six hours, we had a weak front pass to our south which shifted our wind a bit into the northeast. clouds to the north of this front may be drifting in later on tonight. meanwhile, way out here in the atlantic, here's what's going on with tropical storm danny. still rather disorganized. here's florida. here's the carolinas. here's washington. it's still pretty far away. in fact, it's 750 miles south of ocean city right now. and continuing northwest track at 10 miles an hour. it has winds sustained at near 60 with gusts near 70. it's going to continue on a sort of a northerly track here over the nefrment day or so. and it looks like it will be just off the atlantic seaboard of the lower part of the eastern shore by saturday morning. and then it will quickly race up over new england, perhaps cape cod right near nantucket and martha's vineyard by late on saturday afternoon. and it does appear when this track is just to our east here by saturday afternoon, we could have strong surf at the beaches.

and it may be a hurricane by that time as well. in fact, by friday afternoo maybe a hurricane just when it's off of the outer banks. well here's how we're looking around our part of the world. we've got this weak front that drifted just to our south. to the north of that, we've got rain falling across the lower great lakes. it's cool there. only in the low 60s right now. and this high pressure just to our south is going to sort of keep this front stalled in here for the rest of the day. now going forward over the next 36 hours, if this front around, we'll have quite a bit of cloudiness building. during the day tomorrow, in the morning, we might have a few sprinkles around. during the afternoon, great eer chance of rain. and then the first parts of what may be hurricane danny around the outer banks by saturday morning, spreading moderate to heavy rains ahead of that for the beaches on saturday and up into new england. for us, for today, hazy sunshine. afternoon highs climbing to the upper 80s. and it's going to be rather humid. and then overnight tonight, it will be getting cloudy and temperatures will be down into the upper 70s by midnight.

near 70 by dawn tomorrow. could have a sprinkle in the ing. and then throughout rest ofmo te dyouclhe, maybe passing showers. and as we get into the evening, friday evening, too, passing sh owers possible for the patriots and the skins at fedex field. and tn on saturday, asnyan d an races off to the east, we just have a small chance of a passing shower. as well as on sunday. the front comes through. gh 8hiow l.ow lower humidity,fo z crte onom weather coming in first part of next week. that's the way it looks on this thursday morning. >> looks pretty just ahead. all right. thank you, tom. >> sounds great. let's go to jerry edwards at the news 4 traffic network. any problems? >> a lot of road work slowing folks down and residual delays from earlier in the day. take a live look. on the noop inner loop had, a s of accidents. broken down vehicle. lanes are open. but as you make the trip north from about the dulles toll road across the bridge span, be

prepared for heavy and slow traffic. that's how we're doing. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. still ahead on news 4 midday, the mayor is aed about his choice for school for his sons. and whether they got special treatment. the mayor's nonanswer coming up. plus, cash for appliances. the latt government program to save you some money. and what a survivor. a dog shot with an to >>s to bk again.to whsbcot h nn nbc here's a loootn omonin..c

well, it wasn't the scarlet letter, but you might call it the next best thing. this is william taylor, he says his wife forced him to stand on leesburg pike in tis onz corner yesterday morning with his head

sagging low. he had a sign around his neck that said i cheated. this is my punishment. taylor said his wife found out about his affair because he left incriminating evidence on his cell phone. after two hours of public humiliation, taylor's wife texted him to say he could come home. a chinese woman pulled off a stunt best described as hair raising. she is a cunning foo master and showed off an amazing display of strength and endurance. just wait until you see how she did it. we have more. >> reporter: a chinese kung foo master decided to use her hair for one more feat before she cut it off to become a buddhist nun. the 55-year-old took up martial arts when she was 17 and felt it was her hair that gave her power. she decided her calling as a nun is more important and decided to go out in a burst of strength. she's pulled cars before. in fact, just a day before sh she pulled six. fwhut time she dragged eight one ton vehicles about 30 meters, short of the guinness world

record of 100 meters. but she said she wasn't disappointed. >> translator: i'm very happy. for me, it's not a question of success or defeat although i didn't pull them far, i'm still happy. it's all experience. >> reporter: but tn with monks and nuns around her, she had her head shaved. she says she will still practice other forms of kung foo. dan shennaman, nbc news. >> she won't be towing any cars. the plans to start a towing service go out the window with that. >> very disappointing. >> it is, yeah. >> pretty inspiring. coming up in the next half hour of news 4 today, we'll have the latest on some names of some of those being looked at as possible replacements for senator edward kennedy. >> plus, michael vick has a busy day ahead. he's in court. and on the field. and the dog attacked with an arrow, a rook at how the abandoned pet is doing today. >> plus, we have a look ai

right now on news 4 midday, a man is shot and killed by epoceerliarlis thi mngornni i no theast washington. the man was at a gasoline station in the 3300 block of benning road. they say the man was holding a gun and banging on a window. they say he -- when they arrived and told him to stop, he pointed the gun in their direction. they then opened fire. virginia drivers beware. some lanes of i-95 will be closed from time to time in the coming months. vdot are closing the lanes at night between route 1 and lorton road. though closures include plans to build steel barriers at the furnace road overpass tonight. the right lane of the northbound side of the highway will be closed all night long. furnace road will be closed periodically. well, mourners will have five hours tonight and seven hours tomorrow to view senator edward kennedy's closed casket in his brother john's

presidential library. saturday, he'll be buried at arlington national cemetery. a part of the cemetery will be closed to the public for that service. kimberly? tributes to senator kennedy are pouring in. there was this from vice president biden. a testament to the senator's optimism. >> everything was about possibilities. and never, ever, ever in 36 years of being with him, ever saw him down in terms of we can't get this done. things aren't going to get any better. the deficit is too big. we can't get this passed. never, never, never. >> mr. biden said kennedy responded to setbacks by simply getting back up which according to the vice president is what kennedys are supposed to do. >> senator con mccain -- >> never petty or small. and likes the battle and, believe me,' and i had some, you know, we talked a lot about when

we worked together. we had some spirited debates both on and off the floor to the point where on occasion we questioned each other's recent ancestry about once the debate was over, we would embrace. we would go on to the next battle. >> senator mccain added that senator kennedy never held a grudge. he was about building bridges instead. joe? >> massachusetts voters will soon have to choose a successor to t mhehahe tanthe ttyepn k i office for nearly half a t century. a special ect wiobenl il held a lrboin ivutmoe.hsan d aeady a long list of d possible successors is forming. the late nephew, ph,ew ormer representativeepos jh kennedy is suggested. edt hecr bn izeeicorit f hiswork with wezenn vlaiduees hugor chavez. sortha coke sliols aes mentione. u rs hveniityas chancellor andrmm congressman marti nnmen.ha a number of current congressman splso on the .listan

de td eit hest spand deite the state's d mo aticde leanings, a number of repuicean ars also said to be intestedar innn kesy'ed former senate aty'. they include businessman jef beatty, former lieutenant or rnorrn kerry heel falered prosecutor micel sullivan, st seorat sentt cobrown, mrmer ambassador chris eatstawl ateaw l makers are considering rikey'y'ednns request that nterim sanenator be appointed to serve until the special election. "newsweek" is commemorating the death of senator ted kennedy. it's releasing a special edition this week called "the last brother." here's a look at the cover which features a picture of ted kennedy along with his brothers robert and john. the 99 page magazine will include other photos as well as essays and contributions from kennedy's senate colleagues. you'll be able to buy the kmemtive issue beginning tomorrow. and it will remain on the news stands through november. prince george's county

schools have been back in session since monday. many schools have not gone to a single class. on the first day, 8,000 students had incorrect or incomplete schedules. school officials blamed a computer glitch. and now they say it could take more than a week to get everyone back into class. the school superintendent says he'll talk more about the problems in a news conference today. it's expected to begin in about half an hour. d.c. mayor sent his two sons to public schools this week. he's not discussing the matter further. some people have raised questions about which school he chose. and whether he received any special treatment getting his sons in. well this morning the mayor told us the topic is not up for discussion. >> i think once you start down the line about answering a question about your kids, i think it's a bad path. i think it's a bad precedent. i, for one, am not going to do it. i said i was going to p my kids in public schools. th i'reyen ethub p hosc yomasr'mayor'syeldar9--o 9-yeard

arz en z are in lanttfa lafayette.i bo livesthn boundaries ofri the lower enta. taot.ot n unusual for students o go to schools outside of their neighborhoods. let's look at the weather outside. >> and look upstairs. sure t, omto in t shetorm center 4. >> as we look out my video window, we see the washington monument there. you can see it is surrounded by a late summer haze with the hazy sunshine pouring down, temperatures right now around the region are in the low and mid 80s around the area. now 83 in washington. near 80 in the prince george's county and southern maryland the other day where they got a wind off the bay. to our west, arlington, fairfax and points west, temperatures in the low 80s. in leesburg, 84 degrees. you can see the camera there showing that summer haze. dew point a steamy 70 there. and all around our area, we have

temperatures that are now climbing into the 80s. in the mountains, it's in the 70s. around the outer banks and in north carolina. and over the last six hours, we've seen a weak front pass just to our south. this front is now just passing now through northern virginia. it is sort of stalling out here now. behind this, we have a little bit of a light northeasterly flow. so that will keep us from hitting 90 today. here's what's happening with tropical storm danny. the latest statistics coming in at 11:00 this morning. still a rather disorganized tropical storm. a cluster of thundershowers circulating. 760 miles south of ocean city. moving northwest at about 11 miles an hour with sustained winds of 60 with gusts near 70. over the next day or so, it may increase in strength. by tomorrow afternoon, when it's right here off the outer banks, may become a weak hurricane. and remain a category one hurricane during the day on saturday. pa passes just east of ocean city. and then right near cape cod and

nantucket and martha's vineyard, later on on saturday, perhaps late on saturday afternoon, then by sunday morning it races off to the north and east through eastern canada. so for today, hazy sunshine. rather humid. light breeze. highs upper 80s. and then tonight, becoming mostly cloud in the 70s by midnight. cloudy, maybe showers in the morning and passing showers off and on through the afternoon. highs only in the upper 70s. could get showers for the skins and pats on friday night. saturday and sunday, a smaller chance of some passing showers. highs low 80s. drng out with lowerid hitum y hidyng moving in first part of next week. that's the way it looks right now. kimberly and joe? >> thank you, tom. >> let's go to jerry edwards. jerry? >> good morning. we'll show you the instruction along i-95 northbound. slowing everybody down northbound 95 as you head north from lorton. the right lane taken away. that is pretty sizable for today. again, northbound, southbound, no worries all the travel lanes

are open there. wilson bridge, we're doing okay. a little work zone 270 northbound up at montross road. working on the guardrail. left lane blocked with no delay to worry about. if you're headed over towards the bay bridge both ways, traffic moving along nicely. back to you. >> thanks, jerry. two newly naturalized citizens are happy to be alive this morning after a near death experience on the beltway. they were driving near conneccut avenue after taking the oath of citizenship in baltimore, a dump truck traveling in the opposite drekz hits debris and lost two tires. one of the tires headed towards the couple's suv. the driver didn't have time to o he swerved and thought about his family. >> you know you're going to die, why do you care. there is nothing to be scared about. i was just making sure i found my son and daughter. i prayed to god. >> the tire struck hard on the driver's side. but besides cuts from flying

glass, the couple emerged unscathed. a similar accident on the beltway last year had more deadly consequences. a pregnant woman died when a loose truck wheel hit her car in the windshield. a seven-person family is homeless this morning after a large fire tore through their home. it happened early yesterday evening in this home on wind mill lane in silver spring. the family members who were at home at the time were able to escape after they smelled something burning. investigators say it was an accidental electrical fire that began in a second floor bedroom and then spread to the attic. one firefighter was taken to the hospital with minor burns. prince george's county is bracing for potential swine flu outbreak. county school officials unveiled the current plan for dealing with both the fluz. they're focusing on preventative measures in hopes of containing any possible outbreak. the measures encourage younger

students to get vak innated for the seasonal flew. swine flu vaccines are not yet available. they'll be provided at select schools this fall. the new d.c. community college officially opened yesterday. a ribbon cutting ceremony was held yesterday on the udc campus. the community college sloekted. university of the district of columbia president dr. allen sussens says the new school will bring higher education at a financial value. well fushgs didn't get that new car, you can now cash in on some new home appliances. this coming fall this because a new program -- goverent program similar to cash for clunkers is giving consumers rebates whether they purchase more efficient units. jackie benson has more. >> that is the kitchen aid. >> these days customers at the appliance store in arlington have a lot more to think about than just the color ofheir new

refrigerator. >> you would consider a built in refrigerator? >> generally, you know, that's one of the first or second things people ask for when i ask sr an appliance. you know, we ask them what you are looking for? i say a washing machine. i want white and energy star. >> fresh from the cash for clunkers stimulus plan, millions of federal dollars welcome focused on the old energy sucking appliances lurking in your kitchen. >> when i start selling refrigerators, i average 25 cubic foot refrigerator. you know, they are a dollar amount for average uses around the 425-range. now it's in the $56 range. >> reporter: customer as cross the u.s. are eligible for rebates of $50 to $200 by buying new energy star rated un ftyer oncia. univerersity of maryland economt says to succeed in stimulating the u.s. economy, the program

must achieve certain things. >> we want to make sure that folks are trading in appliances in dramatically increasing their energy efficiencies. it's going to be for homeowners. we want to make sure the steel and appliances is made in america so that the economy benefits. after all this is supposed to be an american stimulus package. >> and the government wants you to know that unlike the cash for clufr clunkers program, for cars, you don't have to bring in the old appliances in order to get the rebate. jaie benson, news 4. in sports news, michael vick will make his return to the nfl tonight. but before that, he has to show up in bankruptcy court. vick was expected to appear in court in new port news, virginia, this morning to seek a judge's approval of his plan to emerge from bankruptcy. according to a court filing, creditors who are owed a total of more than $20 million have endorsed vick's plan to pay them back. as soon as that's overwith, he'll travel to philadelphia where he'll play quarterback in a preseason game. animal rights activists are

expected to show up at the game and protest his return. vick was released from federal custody on july 20th after serving 18 months in prison for his role in running a dog fighting operation. vick is also in courtn virginia today dealing with his bankruptcy. now an amazing story out of new mexico. an ababd ond dog is doing just fine after being shot in the head by an arrow. word of ng warngnini. some viewers might find the photosur st.dingbi the pictures were taken last week. the german sng ar row in h an arrow in his head the dog survived surgery and can see.il there is also no signst of any brain damage. authorities have not figured o wh shot the dog. but the pet is now up for adoption. dogs have an mazing tolerance for pain. >> amazing. >> i mean that little guy, he deserves some tlc. >> i hope he's adopted. >> i think he will be. >> still ahead, federal reserve chairman ben bernanke and his wife are victims of a crime this morning. we'll have the details. plus, a look at how jobless

numbers are affecting the markets this morning. stay wit

bldsin and wd yoi shades being sold at some of the country's biggest retailers posd a risk to small children. the commission says cldren could stranglee ithnn blinds cords. 5 1/2 million blinds are being sold under various names at

stores including ikea, pottery barn kids and target. manufacturers are already designing childproof blinds and shades. tailers say the items already out there should be returned right away. >> important day in business. several economic reports are being released this morning. let's check in with courtney reagan. she joins us live with more on that and the rest to have day's business headlines. >> good morning you to both. right now stocks are lower. the dow is lower by more than 40 points after a couple hours of trading here towards the end of the week. asia markets did fall overnight over kurnz that global stock rally might be running out of steam. europe, hoefr, is doing a bit better. we heard about a couple data points this morning. i'll go through them briefly. first time clas for jobless benefits this fall by 10,000 last week to a total of 570,000. continuing claims fell to the lowest in four months, that means before getting back into the labor force. good news there. and u.s. economy also shrank at a 1% annual rate.

a better performance than predicted. and the fdic acknowledging continuing strain on the nation's banking stocks. the number of banks rose to 416 for the second quarter from 305 for the first. 81 banks have failed already this year. loans also at least 90 days delinquent hit a record 4.35%. the fdic is also disclosing that the deposit insurance fund has dropped to 10.4 billion. that is the money used when the government has to shoulder the losses from a failed bank. no buyer can be found. and even the nation's top banker isn't immune to identity theft. fed chairman ben bernanke acknowledged that he and his wife are two of hundreds of victims swind nld 2008 out of a total of $2.1 million for the group. it happened after a thief got

ahold of their checkbook. the rest of the acts were compromised other ways. the one of the leaders of the crime ring did plead guilty to conspiracy and to commit bank fraud in federal court last month. but no one is safe. not even the nation's top banker. >> thanks, courtney. >> thank you. >> well, many wednesdays of our wednesday show are headed back to school this week. they don't have parents to buy them the school supplies they need. that's why a group known as the red hat lateies generously made surehey didn't feel left out. news 4's bbara harrisson has the story. >> reporter: a magician had some real tricks up his sleeve. but the real magic was done by the ladies in red hats. once again, as in years past, they have come up with a way to help our wednesday's kids. >> we were looking for a project. and i happened to remember seeing wednesday's child on television. >> reporter: for the last few years they raised money during

the holidays for gifts for the children that we have featured on wednesday's child. this year, they decided to do something new. >> okay. ms. roda is here. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: this year they presented the children with backpacks for heading back to school. >> you are ready for school? >> yes. >> what grade you are going to be in? >> eighth grade. >> fantastic. >> reporter: calling the project red hats for backpacks, they've been holding all kinds of events throughout the spring and summer to buy backpacks and fill them with lots of things the kids can use for school. >> miss mary. >> you are excited? you're going to have something special to take with you back to school. >> this is jennisberg. >> very heavy one. >> the red hat ladies say the "wednesday's child" project means a lot to them. >> we hope through the years they can help in some way.

i have accepted a number of children through different projects. >> i like it because it's a volunteer work. i don't go o a lot, you know. >> all right. >> this is it to tony. >> ready for school? >> yes. >> what grade you are going to be in this year? >> seventh. >> miss nancy. and this is darren. what do you think about what the red hat ladies have done? >> i think it was quite a good thing to do for us. >> okay, miss bell, this is ahe moon awe he will. >> along with the backpacks, the red hat ladies shared a lot of love today. the feelings that they'll go back to school with while they continue to wait and hope for permanent, loving homes. barbara harrisson, news 4 for ta "wednesday's ch"ild. f i youeavm hchoo r in your home and yo heartoo for ahi cld who is waiting, pe clal our spl eh theth number is 1-882-adopt-me

log on to nbcwashington.com. a lot of wet kisses going on in that room, i think. time is now 11:51. tom will be back with another check of our forecast. and we are always looking ler oppeo t make the day s.ur if kr y ouw hours. if you know someone like that, e- your story in a clear, close-up picture or v morning pers@nabs washington.c t we may theelth astory e ght here ir. t air.

nnchts a matter of hours, we'll foind out if it's all systems go for space shuttle discovery. nasa set to make a final decision on whether the shuttle will launch tomorrow morning at 12:22 a.m. the shuttle was supposed to launch from kennedy space center tuesday. but it was scrubbed because of bad weather. then nasa discovered an issue with a fuel valve, that's never g engineers say they have fixed the problem. the valve worked perfectly in five tests and forecasters promised favorable weather.

let's find out what some of the stories are in the works for news 4 this afternoon. >> jim hanley joins us with a preview. >> good morning. good to see you both. we have a busy afternoon starting at 4:00 and 5:00. is your doctor frustrated with you? we'll sharthe results of a new study showing some doctorsave negative feelings about certain patients. we'll explain why. th at 5:00 tonight, up side down on your mortgage? you're not alone. tonight, all the research is done for you when homeowners are getting nowhere when lenders, liz crenshaw finds a way f these stories and all the day's news, join us. we begin right here first at 4:00. joe and kimberly. >> you don't want your doctor not liking you. >>, no you don't need that. there are other doctors to go to. >> plenty of otherhings working against us, right? >> exactly. thanks, jim. >> final check? >> here's tom. he's in the storm center for us. >> as we approach the noon hours, temperatures climbing into the 80s. for the rest of the afternoon, we'll hit the upper 80s. it will be rather humid with a light breeze out of t northeast. then mostly cloudy tonight.

the 70s by midnight. near 70 by dawn tomorrow. maybe a little light rain around tomorrow morning. but greater chance of passing showers tomorrow afternoon with highs in the upper 70s. it will be rather humid day tomorrow, too. in fact, more humid on friday into saturday and sunday. and on saturday, what may be hurricane danny is just east of ocean city. may get some high surf there at the beaches with gusty winds. inland, there's a small chance of a passing tropical shower on saturday. sunday, a front comes through. maybe triggering mainly afternoon passing showers or maybe some showers. that could be followed by lower humidity moving in by midweek next week. we'll have highs in the 70s with morning lows in the 50s. so feeling like fall. that's the way it looks rig now. we'll see you tomorrow morning. >> thanks, tom. >> well this may remind you of when you were a kid. maybe not. it's a pillow fight on a log. it's a sport that dates back to ancient times in india. actually, looks like a lot of fun. the game is set on a bamboo

pole. wham, wham, wham. they hit each other with a pillow until one falls off. the people who live in this indian village say the sport is so dying off as children take up more modern sports like soccer and volleyball. because of that, they held a special festival to promote the sport and urge the town's kids to get involved. whoa! >> i can't imagine why that sport is dying off. that's news 4 midday. thanks for joining us. be sure to tune into news 4 at 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00.